Maybe the man wasn't dangerous.  Maybe.  It still looked odd that he was sitting there the entire time, and Bishop wasn't one to let his guard down.  Ever.
"Who are you, old man? And what 'strange happenin' are you talkin' 'bout?"

"Uh?" the old man grunts. His face remains slack and his eyes unfocused, looking down and droopy. His shaking, bony fingers near Bishop's chest.

"I don't have time for any of your bullshit" Bishop said slowly, enuncianting every word "And if I wasn't worried that some of the others bought your act, your brain would have decorated the wall behind you by now.  So why don't you do yourself a favor before everyone wise up and I do just that?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:04, Thu 27 June 2019.

The vagrant does not react to Bishop's words, not even a blink. As Bishop makes his stance, the man still stretches his bony, quaking fingers toward the mutant and eventually, with just an outstretched index finger, touches Bishop's puffed chest, then, much quicker, pulls away. "Ah, there you are," he says, with slightly less grumble in his voice than before. "The pizza! You gotta take care'a the pizza! It's awful!"

OOC: Did we lose Spider-Man? I hate to keep posting (too much) without giving other PCs a chance to chime in.

Ororo shot Clint a look, wondering when he'd added mind-reading to his non-existent set of powers, then she nodded at Wolfsbane. "Well, then. Sounds like we're all going down. Which is usually the recipe for an enjoyable night."

She looked over at where Bishop was chatting with the old man. "Speaking of pizza, does anyone want a bite to eat before we move along? Might not have another chance until later. Seriously, though, Bish - do you perceive something we don't?"

Ororo took a closer look at the man with those unsettling, milky-white eyes of hers, appraising him with a vision that went beyond that of a normal human.

"Name's Bishop" he answered Storm, while still keeping his eyes on the man "And I didn't come here to eat"
He was still sure there was more to the man than he was letting on, but there wasn't much he could do about it now
"Check the kitchen, and the ovans" he said with an afterthought after the man mentioned the pizza "Lets see what's really cookin' in here"

“I did”, Wofsbane said, in response to both Storm and Bish!, and she immediately began taking Bishop’s advice to  ‘check the kitchen, and the ovens for the mentioned pizza’.

She was starving, actually.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:03, Fri 28 June 2019.

She-Hulk squares off in front of the walk-in while Hawkeye takes a slow, cautious step forward, never taking his eyes off the big door and what She-Hulk is going to do to it.

Even a cursory glance at the kitchen reveals nothing anyone would want to eat. Much of the appliances have been trashed from the battle, with the damage still fresh and lightly smoldering, and what is intact leaves little to be desired. The cooking surfaces are noticeably dirty, with green grime around the edges of the prep tables. Mounds of pizza dough have been left uncovered on a cutting surface, and packaged meats have not been labeled with dates. Mold is in the ice machine. The trash cans are uncovered, with a cloud of gnats floating around the opening. The pair of pizza ovens are caved in but there's no way to tell if they were damaged in the scuffle or they were like that already. A dead rat lies on a window sill, next to a dusty sign warning of a "C" rating by the New York City Health Board.

She-Hulk reaches to the sides of the walk-in door and grabs hold of its edges. Her fingers sink in like it's putty and she starts to lift it from its hinges.

"Let's get ready, people," Hawkeye says. He tenses and brings his bow up to a ready position. "AVENGERS -- "

"Clint," She-Hulk interrupts as the door squeaks against its moorings.

"What?"

The jade giantess sighs. "Only Captain America can do that. And you, sir, are not Captain America."

"But a leader can do it."

"I didn't hear anyone agreeing to you being leader. More than half the folks here are X-Men or free agents."

Hawkeye talks but does not take his eyes off the entry to the walk-in cooler that his fellow Avenger is uncovering. "Cap gathered this intel so it's like he's leading even if he's not here."

"Then he can't say it if he's not here."

"But," the archer stammers.

"Just don't."

She-Hulk carries the door away from its housing. She goes slowly, doubtful for the exertion this exercise is on her but more that she is being overly careful at what is behind the door. Indeed, the entry leads to a small room bordered by shelves of frozen food and culinary accouterments, as expected, but a metal staircase leading down in the middle is a surprise. She-Hulk sets aside the door then is the first to step into the walk-in.

Hawkeye raises his bow to his eye-line, even if he can't yet have a clear shot around his green-hued companion. "Did you even check if it was locked?"

"Quiet," She-Hulk says. "You -- "

"THERE THEY ARE!" comes a call from inside the room and down the stairs. An instant later, She-Hulk is showered by a barrage of energy blasts from below, coming upward to explode around her.


Next Action: Spider-Man
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:07, Thu 04 July 2019.

She-Hulk crosses her mighty arms in front of herself as she withstands the barrage of strikes from below. Between blasts can be heard the gritting of her teeth, and she is knocked back just half a step from the force of the blows.

Hawkeye, at an angle away from the stairs just outside of the blasts' trajectory, stretches back his bow with a ready arrow. "There's not gonna be a better sign that something's going on here," he says, with some words obscured from the sounds of the blasts down the stairs and from the destruction they rend in the tiny, lukewarm room. "And I don't like it!" He takes a step toward the stairs, but She-Hulk, protecting those behind her, blocks much of the entryway.

"Let's get in there!" Hawkeye hollers. "AVENGERS -- !"

But his ill-advised battle-cry is cut off from the enemy attacks blasting apart the area around She-Hulk. Shelves holding perishable food items fall apart as they are hit, and the aluminium paneling on the ceiling threatens to fall. The jade giantess holds her ground but only just so, against such impressive ordinance.

Hawkeye lends Combat Expert d8 to the first hero to make a physical attack

Next Action: any

While the Jade Giantess made for an imposing sight ... one that drew both attention and fire ... the small, lithe wolven form that darted between her legs did not.

Following Hawkeye’s Expert Combat leadership, and no longer bothered by the Sweltering Hot Afternoon, Rahne moved swiftly, with Enhanced Reflexes and alacrity, bounding down the steps (and even off the wall at one point), then took her werewolf form mid-leap onto the nearest assailant, tearing into it with claws and fangs.



D6  Team
D8   Sweltering Hot Afternoon
D8   Enhanced Reflexes
D8   Combat Expert
D8   Hawkeye’s Combat Expert

AND YOU MUST BE FREAKING KIDDING ME:
- rolled 2,3,1,3,2 using D6,d8,d8,d8,d8
Total = 6
Effect =d8
Opps = 1

PP = 5
Next up = Villains
This message was last edited by the player at 02:31, Sat 13 July 2019.

Add d6 to Doom Pool from Wolfsbane's Opportunity

<Orange>Defend from Wolfsbane's physical attack, Total: 6, Effect: d8:
Team     5d8
Confident in Mission    d8
Body Armor    d6
Combat Expert    d8

Agents Mob rolled 1,5,3,4,8,1,1,5 using d8,d8,d8,d8,d8,d8,d6,d8 ((1,5,3,4,8,1,1,5)).

Total: 13, Effect: d8

3 Opportunities (available first to Wolfsbane)

Doom Pool: 3d6, 8d8 +d6 = 4d6, 8d8

Wolfsbane bursts forth around -- or under -- She-Hulk, vaulting impetuously down the stairs toward the attacks, discovering only too late that there are more opponents than she bargained for. Leaping toward one means leaping toward them all and instantly she is in the midst of them. At the bottom of the flight are a squadron of agents, with more behind the group waiting for room free in the narrow walkway for them. The young mutant falls in the middle of the crowd, avoiding attacks meant for She-Hulk with her own natural agility, but not nimble enough to be able to alter where she lands while on the way there. Her own attacks on them do nothing, being only two hands, albeit formidable, against a barrier consisting of armed, ready agents.

With Wolfsbane placed amidst them, the agents, all disguised in regulation S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms, pause their assault on She-Hulk at the top of the stairs and turn their attentions -- and weapons -- on the young mutant at the center of their number. Their halt happens only for a moment, as they prepare to dispose of the enemy that was so easily and conveniently offered to them. Suddenly Wolfsbane is looking down numerous barrels of foes surrounding her!

A tall, dark-haired man who has designated himself as the group's leader barks above the clacking of weapons pulled and aimed: "Stand down, mutant!"

Emotional attack (intimidation) on Wolfsbane:
Team    5d8
Confident in Mission    d8

Agents Mob rolled 1,7,5,5,4,2 using d8,d8,d8,d8,d8,d8 ((1,7,5,5,4,2)).

Total: 12, Effect: d8

1 Opportunity (available first to Wolfsbane)

Physical powers or Specialties are not available to defend

Reaction Needed: Wolfsbane
Next Action: Namorita

Note an additional SFX for the Agents: SFX: Reinforcements. Any Opportunity rolled in a dice pool to affect Agents Mob activates to add 1 to Team (+1 PP to the acting hero for each Doombot added). Heroes still earn a PP from rolled Opportunities, and the Doom Pool will not increase from this. This includes attacks on the Agents, not reaction rolls when defending or Counterattacks.
This message was last updated by the player at 08:16, Thu 18 July 2019.

So much for working as a Team member!

Rahne had always said, "Advice is free, actions are not" ... and on this occasions, her actions had cost her.  She'd been impetuous and cocky, and now she was on her back, looking up into the barrel of seven or eight, no even more than that, guns pointed straight at her.

But she was a Psyche Master and had learned, even trained herself, to be on the end of such intimidation.

d8:  Team
d8:  Advice is free, actions are  not
d10: Psche Master

-  rolled 8,7,4 using d8,d8,d10 with rolls of 8,7,4.
TOTAL: 15
EFFECT: d0

Spend 1 PP to activate that Opportunity: to create the Asset 'Considered Subdued' ... with the intent that the enemy will consider her no longer a threat, and she can use this d10 asset on her first attack against them soon.
Please remind me, do I need to make a roll for that?  or, as it isn't an action against anyone, does it happen passively?

Rahne whimpered a little, and curled into a frightened looking ball at their feet ... hoping that they would consider her paralysed with fear.


Current PP (if asset is approved): 4 PP

Psyche Master is not used in emotional attacks.

The rating for an Asset starts at d8, not the Effect die for that turn's action.

The agents surrounding Wolfsbane pause, not putting down their weapons but not firing on her. A few of the them blink but their self-imposed leader keeps his eyes on the young mutant. "Good dog," he sneers. "Know your place."

"Let's get down there!" Hawkeye cries. "Every second we waste there's one that could get out!"

Next Action: Storm

Oh, the Psyche roll above was to resist the d8 emotional/intimidation attack ... as per your ‘reaction needed’.

As I said: ‘Please remind me, do I need to make a roll for that?  or, as it isn't an action against anyone, does it happen passively?’
If such a roll is needed, please let me know.  I’m still getting used to these rules, especially ‘when’ and ‘how’ I can activate one of your opportunities.

"Oh dear." Wolfsbane looked to be in a little bit of trouble, but Ororo had ways of helping with that. Storm still had that nice pipe in her hands, and while she would have liked to crack some skulls with it, an opportunity to do otherwise had presented itself.

She tossed the solid metal among the tightly bunched agents as she whipped up a whirlwind to scatter and batter those that were supposed to be loyal to Hydra. Adding a pipe to the mix, well, that should add a few bruises, right?

OOC: Let's try an area attack here.

Storm will activate an opportunity and turn it into a stunt for a d10 (using her pipe to do additional damage among tightly bunched agents).

She will add, hm, 3 more targets to the normal 1 by using her area effect SFX.

Team d10
Strong-Willed Leader d8
Weather Supremacy d12
Opportunity/Stunt d10
SFX: Area Attack (+3 targets) 3d6
Combat Expert d8

Let's see what happens...
07:39, Today: Storm rolled 9,1,11,10,3,4,3,5 using d10,d8,d12,d10,d6,d6,d6,d8 with rolls of 9,1,11,10,3,4,3,5.  Area Attack (whirlwind).

I will use 1 PP to keep an additional die (using that 9 as well)

Total: 30
Effects: d8, d6, d6, d6

1 opportunity to Watcher

PP: 4 (starting) - 2 (opportunity + additional die) + 1 (opportunity to watcher) = 3

Next: Namorita
Reaction needed: Agents mob
This message was last edited by the player at 13:18, Fri 26 July 2019.

Add d8 to Agent Mob's Team Affiliation from Storm's Opportunity

Defend from Storm's physical attack, Total: 30, Effects: d8, d6, d6, d6:
Team     5d8
Low-Level Flunkies (poor teamwork)    d4
(step up Doom Pool die)
Body Armor    d6
Combat Expert    d8
Storm Emotional Stress    d6

Agents Mob rolled 4,6,1,1,5,3,5,3,1 using d8,d8,d8,d8,d8,d4,d6,d8,d6 ((4,6,1,1,5,3,5,3,1)).

Total: 11, Effect: d8
Extraordinary Success x3 steps acting Effect dice up, to d12+, d12, d12, d12
3 Opportunities (available first to Storm)

Eliminate 4d8 from Agent Mob's Team Affiliation, and add 1 from above, for total of 2d8

Doom Pool: 4d6, 8d8 (-d6/+d8) = 3d6, 9d8

The agents at the bottom of the stairs stop firing the weapons long enough to feel the air rise around them, and spend the only moment they had to run to instead look around in disbelief as wind whips around them, lifting a few off their feet, throwing some into others, smashing them together, bashing heads into heads, and, once they realize they weren't trained for this, their panic brings even more confusion then an end to their consciousnesses. As if it was planned, the metal pipe that Storm released into the air is carried aloft by the violent gale in the enclosed space, and flies into the skull of the agent who threatened Wolfsbane and kept the young mutant at gun-point. With a dull smack, the pipe hits the agent in the side of his head. Under an arc of blood he drops to the floor in a heap, among much of the rest of the group who were knocked senseless by the concentrated fury of the wind witch's forceful will and remarkable powers. While many of them are rendered unconscious, other agents come up, intending to replace their number, though many of them with distressed looks on drawn faces, and though there could be any number of reinforcements from the area behind them, those that come now approach with hesitance, if not outright fear!

Next Action: Bishop

Keeping his cool, Bishop started to descend the flight of stairs, unleashing barrage after barrage of energy blasts at whomever was foolish enough to stay out of cover

Unrelenting 1d8
Team 1d8
Energy Blast 1d12
Combat Expert

20:44, Today: Bishop rolled 5,6,9,8 using 1d8,1d8,1d12,1d8 with rolls of 5,6,9,8.  physical attack vs mob.
Total: 8+9= 17, Effect: 1d8 
New PP total: 5+0 = 5

Defend from Bishop's physical attack, Total: 17, Effects: d8:
Team     2d8
Confident in Mission (confidence shaken)    d4
(step up Doom Pool die)
Body Armor    d6
Combat Expert    d8

Agents Mob rolled 2,7,4,1,6 using d8,d8,d4,d6,d8 ((2,7,4,1,6)).

Total: 11, Effect: d8

Extraordinary Success steps acting Effect dice up, to d10
1 Opportunities (available first to Bishop)

Eliminate d8 from Agent Mob's Team Affiliation, for total of 2d8

Doom Pool: 3d6, 9d8 (-d6/+d8) = 2d6, 10d8

With a blast of energy from his fists, Bishop takes down most of the rest of the group, leaving a pile of bodies and one last goon, who looks up at the approaching hero with wide eyes and half-convincingly raises a shaking rifle.

She-Hulk, now relieved of the barrage being fired at her, makes her way down the stairs, brushing aside the ashes left on her bare arms. Halfway down she finds herself beside Storm and they have a chat.

As the group of opposing combatants have been disposed, the underground lair they were defending can be seen over their prone bodies. The stairs empty to a large room, wider than it is tall, filled with walled cubicles and tables to give the appearance of an office pool. A catwalk runs along the far wall overlooking the area, with a door on the far end. On the opposite wall are four large openings, covered by a shimmering yellow light running vertically like a curtain. A huge S.H.I.E.L.D. logo covers the middle wall. Agents disguised in standard S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms scurry about, their original number likely one for each of the three dozen desks, but half of those now at the heroes' feet. They ready weapons but none of them take the usual positions to engage in combat.

Hawkeye rushes down the stairs, his nocked bow ready. "There they are! Let's finish this up!" the archer cries.

Add Office Pool Mob 5d8



Next Action (new round): any

Bishop didn't stop his advance, even when he realized that the floor below was swarming with Hydra agents.  Fully charged with energy as he was, he judged that they didn't pose any threat to him.  It was better then to be at the fore and offer himself as a target.  Better him than his teammates, at least.
The lone solider who survived the previous onslaught was lucky to have done so, but also unlucky to be the one closet to him, and in his way:

Team 1d8
Make a Difference 1d8
Godlike strength (+everything I got) 1d12, 1d12
Combat Expert 1d8

Bishop rolled 8,8,1,9,1 using 1d8,1d8,1d12,1d12,1d8 with rolls of 8,8,1,9,1.  physical attack vs remaining agent.
will spend 1 PP to keep an extra die
Total: 8+8+9 = 25  Effect: 1d4


PP: 5-1=4
This message was last edited by the player at 09:53, Sat 03 Aug 2019.

Add 2d8 to Agent Mob's Team Affiliation from Bishop's Opportunities

Defend from Bishop's physical attack, Total: 25, Effects: d4 (default):
Team     d8
Low-Level Flunkies    d4
(step up Doom Pool die)
Body Armor    d6
Combat Expert    d8
from Doom Pool    d8

Today: Agents Mob rolled 8,3,3,7,5 using d8,d4,d6,d8,d8 ((8,3,3,7,5)).

Total: 15, Effect: d8

Extraordinary Success x1 steps acting Effect dice up, to d8 (not enough to eliminate Team die)
Create one-time Physical Stress d8

Doom Pool: 2d6, 10d8 (-d6/+d8) -d8 = d6, 10d8


Bishop dispatches the last standing agent from the group, the foe dropping to the floor with a scream of "Arggghhh!", enough to note his lasting consciousness. On the periphery of the battle area, two other S.H.I.E.L.D.-garbed agents peek out from cubicle partitions, rifles in hand but their wide eyes betraying courage as only duty to stand up and serve their masters.

Next Action: any but Bishop

'Well,' thought Wolfsbane, 'So much for that deception' ...
                 - kisses 'Considered Subdued' Asset goodbye.  ;-P
... as the swarm of enemy around her, whom she was about to explode into after they'd considered her subdued, fell swiftly under the casual assault by Storm and Bishop.

Standing, while her fellows filed past her into the Hydra base, she 'mock dusted herself off' ... smoothing down her pelt.
Then, she followed them into the next room.


More of a narrative post, than a combat/mechanical one.  I hope nobody minds.

Eliminate Wolfsbane's Considered Subdued d8 Asset

The large room that is the office pool lies silent, as the agents opposing the heroes, armed as they are but with eyes large and fearful, nervously await their enemies' next moves.

Numerous pairs of eyes look up at the heroes in various stages of fear. Though all are armed, some with pistols, up to a few, from the first barrage of agents at the bottom of the stairs, with rifles, only a few of them seem remotely prepared to be soldiers. One rotund man looks like he hasn't had exercise since middle school; one mousy woman seems like she would be more comfortable at her kids' soccer match; another old man seems like he might separate into dust by a strong pat on the back. They are all uniformed in S.H.I.E.L.D. togs but only a scant few  seem like they could ever carry out the duties of any militaristic organization. But none have run -- escape would be obvious by anyone going through the only other door in the space, on the catwalk overhead. They all stand their ground, even if it, like them, is shaky.

Storm looked at the gathered agents and assessed their state of readiness. She placed fists on her hips. "Who are you lot? Hydra's accounting department?" Ororo casually played with the air in her vicinity, causing her cape to flap as if in a strong breeze, even though they were indoors.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Thu 15 Aug 2019.